Archive for category: Consulting / Assessment

Factoring Vapor Intrusion into Retail Site Selection

Success in the brick-and-mortar retail environment means staying in front of the changes occurring in what the president and CEO of the retail real estate industry group ICSC called a “period of historic change.”

Among the disrupting forces cited by International Council of Shopping Centers President and CEO Tom McGee are technological forces, demographic shifts and changing consumer expectations.

When the group gathers for its Southern California Idea Exchange Feb. 28 at the Anaheim Convention Center, expert retailers will be on hand to discuss such challenges, along with how site selection criteria is changing to keep up with emerging trends around the “new look of brick-and-mortar.”

We’ll be there too, because as savvy retail developers, investors and property managers know well, site selection that doesn’t incorporate environmental assessment can leave an otherwise promising project mired in problems.

Make Sure Your “New Look” Isn’t  Built on Old Hazards

There are many factors that go into selecting a site for a retail shopping center. But none of them matter as much as making sure that you know the environmental history and health of the site you are considering. A thorough environmental assessment can save you from making a bad investment, from having to undertake costly and time-consuming remediation processes, or worse: all of the above plus exposure to legal or regulatory penalties.

Assessment for Volatile Chemicals in Soil or Water

Depending on how your proposed site has been used over the years, you will want to carefully assess the possibility of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or chemicals lurking in ground water or soil. These pollutants can migrate into an overlying building’s indoor air through cracks in the foundation or through openings from utility, plumbing and electrical lines.

A wide variety of volatile chemicals and semi-volatile chemicals can invade indoor air and create potentially hazardous vapor intrusion that goes unnoticed by building occupants. These include:

• Dry-cleaning solvents
• Gasoline and petroleum
• De-greasers
• Some pesticides
• Naphthalene
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

In extreme cases, the vapors can enter into commercial or industrial buildings to airborne concentrations that can pose safety hazards such as explosions. The vapors can also pose serious health risks from acute and chronic exposure.

How Can You Tell If a Property Has Vapor Intrusion?

The only way to know for sure is to conduct an environmental assessment of the property. The environmental risk is greater depending on how the site has been used. Certain types of businesses pose a higher risk of having contaminated soil or groundwater. If your site is on or near a site used by one of the following types of business, regardless of how the site is being used currently, your property is more likely to be at risk of vapor intrusion:

• Chemical processing plants
• Landfills
• Warehouses
• Train yards
• Dry Cleaners
• Gas Stations
• Coal gasification plants
• Printers
• Automobile repair shops

Wind effects and groundwater flow can exacerbate the risk by causing chemicals to migrate. If vapor intrusion is a concern, the EPA recommends a risk assessment by a qualified inspector to evaluate the degree of risk to future occupants. The inspector will compare sample concentrations to health-based screening levels to determine whether mitigation is necessary.

At Omega Environmental Services, we have decades of experience in the accurate, cost-effective and timely assessment and remediation of environmental risks. including vapor intrusion and indoor air quality. Our clients trust us to deliver safe, reliable and professional environmental management that saves them time, money and compliance worries.

Stop by the Omega Environmental Table at the ICSC Southern California Idea Exchange to talk to one of our experts about your environmental assessment, consulting or remediation needs. Or click on the link below.

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Los Angeles Hotel Rich in History Tackles Remediation with Omega’s Help

The remodeling of L.A.’s Hotel Figueroa, a deteriorating 1920’s era landmark in the city’s newly thriving downtown, revived a rich backstory of 1920s-era women, newly enfranchised and making their way in the world.

Built in 1926 by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), and managed by a “first of her kind” female general manager whose portrait now hangs in the check-in area, the hotel was originally a Spanish Colonial-style inn dedicated to providing a safe space for female travelers and professionals. According to the Los Angeles Times, the hotel was, at the time, “the largest project of its kind in the United States to be financed, owned, and operated by women” – a substantial feat considering women had won the right to vote only six years prior. According to the hotel’s website, the hotel was women-only for its first two years.

But the restoration of this iconic structure required dealing with the less celebratory historical legacy of 1920s-era construction, which made liberal use of materials now known to be hazardous.

Reviving a Vivid Historical Era – Minus the Asbestos and Lead

Known for its incredible versatility and heat resistance, asbestos was favored in the 19th and early 20th centuries for everything from insulation to pipelines and other building materials. Lead, also a common household and commercial material, was used for things like paint and gasoline.

A year after Hotel Figueroa was erected, the first official workers’ compensation claim for asbestos-related disease in the U.S. was filed, according to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. At the same time, many developed countries such as Australia and Sweden passed lead paint prevention acts, but the United States was not among them. It wasn’t until the early 1970s that national asbestos and lead regulations were enacted.

In 2014, Hotel Figueroa’s new owners undertook a multi-million-dollar renovation. The new owners envisioned a luxury hotel with some of the original 1920s flair. Their initial plan was to remodel certain parts of the hotel, but after Omega conducted a hazardous materials assessment of the property, it was determined that major components and areas of the building required remediation. This entailed a full demolition of the interior – a project that took nearly two years to complete.

Because the hotel is a protected historical landmark, significant portions of the hotel’s original structure had to remain intact. This added to the challenge of remodeling a building that already had unreliable elevators and other safety concerns.

To facilitate the asbestos and lead remediation process, an exterior elevator was installed to move securely between the 14 floors. Some of the ductwork in the building had to be removed to work around the mechanical system, and gaping holes in the floors had to be covered to ensure worker safety. Omega engineered solutions that allowed remediation to proceed safely and effectively.

Assessing, Remediating and Remodeling in Partnership

Property managers and general contractors understand that environmental assessment and remediation are necessary steps in the remodeling process, both to safeguard the environment and the health of the occupants as well as to ensure regulatory compliance. Omega Environmental is a trusted partner in this effort, as much for our broad experience with landmark renovation projects as for our deep expertise in environmental assessment and remediation. We have decades of experience and Ph.D. level expertise in managing the process of lead and asbestos remediation – along with remediation for other hazardous materials – safely, efficiently and cost effectively.

Contact us to earn more about best practices for environmental remediation in historical renovation.

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Do You Need an Environmental Assessment? 7 Issues that Need a Closer Look

Some commercial properties are unambiguous candidates for environmental assessment. If you’re getting ready to renovate a building that went up in the heyday of asbestos fireproofing or is located on or near the site of proven or suspected soil or groundwater contamination, a thorough environmental review is a practical – and quite likely legal – requirement.

California is a strict enforcer of environmental regulations and in many cases, requires some form of assessment as a permit condition. Likewise, banks and other lenders, insurance companies and even prospective buyers may impose an assessment as a condition of agreeing to lend, insure or purchase a property.

But there are other circumstances in which the case for an assessment may be less familiar, but equally important.

7 Environmental Threats

The first step is knowing what you need to know. Below are seven other potential threats that warrant a closer look.

Asbestos Drywall & Floor Tiles

Most people associate asbestos contamination with the fireproofing on structural steel used routinely in construction before 1980. This type of asbestos typically creates the greatest hazard because it is more likely to be broken into fragments that shed fibers into the environment and become airborne. But depending on the project or condition of the property, you may also be responsible for removing or managing asbestos-containing tiles, wall board and many other suspect asbestos-containing materials that were still used in construction for more than a decade after other asbestos-containing materials were discontinued due to potential adverse health affects.

PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyl)

Often used as electrical insulation in the base of light fixtures installed in the 1950s, 60’s and 70s, PCBs are also found in other construction materials used up until about 1979. These materials are carcinogenic and pose serious environmental concerns. Failure to remove materials that contain PCBs can expose a property owner to steep fines and litigation. Pro-active assessment and sampling can significantly reduce health risks and liability.

Mold & Moisture

Even if you do not see actual mold or mildew, visual evidence of a leak or other water intrusion can be a sign that further investigation is warranted.

Sewer Gas

Pockets of hydrogen sulfide released from aging or poorly maintained sewer lines can create an acute reaction to anyone exposed and can be fatal at high concentrations. Unless you can trace it to someone’s forgotten lunch bag, the persistent odor of rotten eggs should be investigated.

Sick Building

Building occupants’ clustered complaints of nausea, headaches or other physical symptoms, sometimes at a certain period of time each day should be investigated to ascertain the possible source.

Indoor Air Quality

Clustered respiratory symptoms in an office or other public building may be a sign that an air quality assessment is needed. A simple adjustment of the percentage of recirculated and outside air may resolve issues. Other buildings, like those containing asbestos, may need annual or bi-annual assessments to ensure that air quality is maintained. Unresolved air quality issues may require testing for chemical agents releasing vapor into the indoor environment.

Additionally, vapor intrusion may migrate (volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or chemicals) from contaminated groundwater or soil intruding into an overlying building’s indoor air through cracks in the foundation or other openings like utility or sewer lines.

Chemical Handling & Storage Compliance

California has many strict requirements around the proper storage, handling and disclosure of chemical compounds in use or in storage. An assessment can ensure that you are in full compliance and not at risk of expensive and time-consuming compliance headaches.

Find Out What You Need to Know

At Omega Environmental, we have decades of experience in conducting environmental assessment, remediation and decontamination, and extensive expertise in the safe removal and management of environmental hazards in a wide variety of commercial and government settings.

We partner with property managers, construction and engineering firms, and state, local and federal environmental officials to ensure safety and compliance. Contact us to learn more about how we can help your project move forward safely, cost-effectively and without unnecessary delays.

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Is Mold Growing in Your Building?

Excessive Moisture in Buildings Can Be Costly to Health and Business 

Once excessive moisture is introduced into an indoor building environment, there is a high possibility for the growth of bacteria or fungi that can pose adverse health effects to tenants, employees and laborers. The California Department of Public Health has concluded that the presence of “water damage, dampness, visible mold or mold odor” in all buildings and indoor environments is unhealthy. Some of the symptoms and adverse health effects associated with excessive indoor moisture and microbial agents (bacteria and fungi) include:

• Upper respiratory symptoms
• Coughing
• Wheezing
• Exasperated asthma symptoms in people with asthma
• Shortness of breath
• Asthma development
• Lower respiratory illness in children

Building owners and tenants bear the majority of costs associated with problems caused by excessive moisture in buildings and impacted building materials. This could include:

• Absenteeism due to illnesses
• Workmen’s compensation cost
• Increased insurance risk
• Repair and replacement costs associated with damaged building materials, furniture, products and supplies
• Loss of use of building spaces after damage and during repairs
• Increased insurance and litigation costs related to moisture damage claims

Additionally, excessive indoor moisture degrades the quality of the building and could make restoration costly if it isn’t handled promptly. Possible items that may require repairs include:

• Poor adhesion of floor coverings,
• Other building materials or components such as drywall, ceiling systems, light fixtures, other electrical items, carpeting, and carpet padding.

However, moisture damage to building materials can be prevented or minimized if moisture testing is conducted very soon after a moisture intrusion incident and implementation of measures to prevent or minimize the growth of microbial agents.

For more information about mold and moisture, see Omega’s previous blog post.

Omega Environmental Services, Inc. has qualified and certified professionals (Certified Industrial Hygienists, Professional Engineers, Geologists, Certified Asbestos Consultants, Certified Lead Professionals, Toxicologists) that have the expertise to assist businesses in assessing and managing their hazardous materials.

References:

Statement on Building Dampness, Mold and Health. – California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

Moisture Control Guidance for Building Design, Construction and Maintenance – EPA

American Society of Testing Materials

Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration – Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification

Contact us for more about our mold inspection and testing service